Beauty: French lipstick regains radiance

Drop the masks! The end of the restrictions linked to the health crisis has pushed French consumers to wear perfume, make up and take care of themselves. The cosmetics market grew by 5.8% in the first half.

Among the best-performing product categories, there are perfumes, which rose by 23% and make-up, +16%, according to data from the NPD firm. The champion of this last category is undoubtedly lipstick, which has shown spectacular growth: in perfumery, its sales have almost doubled, up 90% in the first half. All distributions combined, the increase remains 57.3%.

Pleasure product

“The French wanted to have fun with the end mask and the arrival of summer, with the purchase of pleasure products such as perfumes and lipsticks, which are showing historic growth,” explains Emmanuel Guichard, General Delegate of the Federation of Beauty Companies ( Febéa), organization that brings together 350 companies in the sector.

The health crisis had made the market lose its luster beauty in France. All distribution channels combined, make-up sales in France were slightly up last year (+4.3%) compared to 2020 at 750 million euros, but down sharply (-19%) compared to to 2019, the pre-pandemic reference year.

Make-up is in the process of regaining its pre-crisis level with make-up sales in the first half reaching 409 million euros.

Make-up is in the process of regaining its pre-crisis level with first-half sales reaching 409 million euros. Some experts estimate that the make-up market in France could even reach 820 million euros by the end of 2022. ​Overall, despite an inflationary context, “beauty” consumers have made a comeback in France in stores in the first half “with very good performances in perfumery where sales are up 27% compared to the same period last year”, specifies Emmanuel Guichard. In supermarkets, however, the market remains sluggish.

One in three lipsticks exported to China

If tricolor cosmetics has resumed colors on its domestic market, it confirms for export the beautiful year of 2021 where it had already appeared like a patch of blue sky in the French trade balance. “Over the first five months of the year, French exports of cosmetic products recorded an increase of 19%. “The year 2022 should confirm the strong export dynamic of the sector which is counting on a turnover of nearly 20 billion euros abroad”, underlined at the beginning of August the Febea. “Perfumes and lipsticks are the champions of French cosmetics exports,” rejoices Emmanuel Guichard.

The cosmetics market experienced record growth rates in the United States (up +32% to 2 billion euros in exports) and in Europe (with Germany up +32%). The good performances accumulate while cosmetics exports had experienced in 2021, a historic year turning the page from the air pocket of 2020 (-11.8%) “The export of French cosmetics is experiencing a very good recovery like tourism in France this summer,” said Emmanuel Guichard.

In 2021, France exported one in three lipsticks to China. In the first half of 2022, lipstick still topped the list of bestsellers most exported to this country in a highly unfavorable context with the zero Covid policy and strict restrictions paralyzing many large cities in the country. Chinese women continued to dream of lipsticks from France and to buy or order them online. In the United States, the leading export market for tricolor cosmetics (in the first half), perfumes come out on top; followed by eye makeup.